After a whole week in Seattle, we spent the morning of our seventh day at a local Microsoft store. The morning started with coffee, which has been a daily occurrence, and then met up with our host Bradley Delahunty ’91. Brad has spent a majority of his career working on the Bing side of Microsoft and graciously helped set up an informational meeting at one of their retail stores. We met with Margie, a Community Development Specialist, who talked with us about Microsoft as a company. She touched based on the company’s goal to be a philanthropy company by giving back to the community as well as the stores trying to close gaps for customers and their various devices. Following the presentation we were able to play with everything in the store. From drawing on their Surface desktop to the experiencing the virtual world of the Oculus Rift Headset, we tried it all and even captured a few videos of Kathy Lund Dean virtually swimming with whales. Following our experience at the Microsoft store, we went to one of their campuses for lunch and experienced some amazing views from the 26th floor cafeteria.
Next came a shuttle ride that brought us to The Odom Corporation, a large beverage distribution center located in Washington, Alaska, Oregon, Idaho, and Hawaii. Here we were able to talk with employees who occupy a variety of positions within the company. We first met Randy Halter ’84, who is the Executive Vice President of Finance, Operations, and Administration, and heard a brief overview of the company. We were able to meet many other employees, such as the VP of Human Resources, a Sales Analyst, and a few employees who make sure the deliveries get where they need to be with various technology. We were able to gain an insiders view into what goes into running a distribution center, specifically one whose focus is centered around craft beer, and how they use technology to get their products from one location to another. Following the presentation we were able to walk around the center and see the various products that would eventually be distributed as well as what goes into getting a shipment ready to be load on a truck. The volume of what Odom moves in and out of their warehouse is amazing.
With a long car ride back home we decided pancakes as a breakfast for dinner was the best choice and naps were necessary in order to ensure we were well rested for a free day of exploring.